The pandemic has narrowed or cut off traditional distribution channels for many businesses. At the same time, a new type of consumer has emerged, comfortable using online channels, making fewer trips to stores, and gravitating towards contactless payments.
Auto manufacturer BMW India had already anticipated the need for an online sales channel to cater to internet-savvy customers, and this need was accentuated when the lockdown prevented buyers from visiting dealerships.
That led the company to build an e-commerce platform to enable an end-to-end customer journey. Although developed and piloted in India, the online sales channel was strategically conceptualized as a multi-market solution.
Prakash KumarPrakash Kumar, head of IT at BMW Group India
“The project was a joint business and IT effort where both sides played equal parts,” says Prakash Kumar, head of IT at BMW Group India. “There were business product owners drawn from various functions and an IT feature team lead by IT architects and Agile masters who developed the solution.”
